Focussed vs Focused | Spelling, Explanation & Examples
Both focussed and focused are acceptable in British English as well as American English, and interestingly, the more common form in both varieties of the language is with the single “s.”
Staying focused/focussed in class can be very difficult in the modern world of online distractions.
Thankfully, the earthquake’s epicenter was focused/focussed in a mountainous, sparsely inhabited region.
Focussed or focused
A very common difference between American English and British English is found when adding suffixes to verbs that end in a consonant (e.g., “travel,” “cancel,” or “label”). Typically, in American English the suffix (e.g., “-ed” or “-ing”) is simply added to the word, while in British English the consonant is doubled up (e.g., “travelled” or “cancelling”).
It would be easy to think that the same difference applies to the simple past tense form and past participle of focus.
However, in both American English and British English, this word can be spelled focussed or focused, but by far the most common spelling is focused. The main thing is to remain consistent in your document.
As a surgeon, Marketa had to stay focused/focussed for many hours at a time during operations.
The county crime-prevention strategy focused/focussed on diverting young offenders away from habitual criminal activity.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Some differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or. | Behavior or behaviour Color or colour Favor or favour Flavor or flavour Favorite or favourite Honor or honour Humor or humour Labor or labour Neighbor or neighbour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Center or centre Fiber or fibre Theater or theatre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Analyze or analyse Organization or organisation Realize or realise Recognize or recognise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Burned or burnt Dreamed or dreamt Kneeled or knelt Learned or learnt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt Spilled or spilt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Buses or busses Canceled or cancelled Counselor or counsellor Focused or focussed Labeled or labelled Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling |
| In British English, these same words are often spelled with a double consonant. | ||
| Dropping vs retaining the “e” | In American English, “e” is often dropped when forming a noun from a verb | Acknowledgment or acknowledgement Aging or ageing Judgment or judgement |
| In British English, the “e” is often retained. | ||
| Different verb and noun spellings | In American English, most words have identical verb and noun spellings. | License or licence Practice or practise |
| In British English, some words have different spellings for the verb and noun forms. | ||
| Other spelling differences | There are many other spelling differences between the two English variants. | Airplane or aeroplane Aluminum or aluminium Check or cheque Cozy or cosy Defense or defence Dependent or dependant Enrollment or enrolment Fulfil or fulfill Gray or grey Jewelry or jewellery Karat or carat Mold or mould Offense or offence Pajamas or pyjamas Program or programme Skeptical or sceptical Tire or tyre |
Other interesting articles
If you want to know more about job applications, research, or idioms, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Job applications
Research
Frequently asked questions about focussed vs focused
- Is focussed correct in British English?
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Yes, focussed is correct in British English (and American English), but it is more usual these days for the simple past tense and past participle of this verb to be spelled focused. This is also true for American English.
While it is acceptable to use either spelling, it is best to make sure you only use one in any document to maintain consistency.
You can change the language settings in the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you have the correct US or UK spelling of focussed or focused.
- Is it focussing or focusing?
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It doesn’t matter whether you are using American English or British English because you can use both focussing and focusing in either variant. However, it is much more common to find the single “s” spelling, focusing.
This is also true for the simple past tense and past participle of the verb “focus.” This can be spelled focussed or focused, with the single “s” version also by far the more common form.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker has selectable language options to make sure you have the correct US or UK spelling of focussed or focused.
